Elcano Hotel

With its
powder blue pillars, boldly patterned floor tiling, and brown wicker chairs, the
lobby’s 1950s-style decor immediately distinguishes the hotel as one of
Acapulco’s Golden Age relics. However, Elcano doesn’t look like the kind of
glamorous place that would have attracted Elizabeth Taylor or Frank Sinatra
even in its heyday -- from the simple pool to the modest restaurants, the
hotel’s facilities are distinctly mid-range. At best, it’s cute and low-key and
at worst, it borders on too old-fashioned. 
 The guests we spotted during our visit were mainly families,
although the hotel’s diverse meeting facilities and proximately to the Acapulco
Convention Center would make it a solid choice for business travelers as well. There
are countless bars nearby for guest looking to party, but revelers might find
the atmosphere too mellow at the hotel itself. Like the other hotels clustered along the Costera, Elcano’s
main selling point is its location with numerous beaches, restaurants, and
shops easily accessible on foot. The hotel’s smaller size and long history give
it a bit more character than most of the other three-pearl hotels in
the area, although this smaller size also translates into a less impressive
pool, limited fitness center, and fewer on-site dining options compared to
its competitors.

Elcano Hotel is located along bustling Avenida Costera Miguel
Alemán in the city’s lively Golden Zone. The Costera is a wide, busy,
overdeveloped road with closely packed shops, restaurants, and bars found on
both sides of the street. The back of the hotel faces towards iconic Acapulco Bay and Playa
Icacos. It’s less than a 15-minute walk to neighboring Playa Condesa as well as
to El Rollo Acapulco water park and the Acapulco Convention Center.The Galerias Diana Shopping Center can be reached in six
minutes by car, and Acapulco International Airport is 12 miles away. It’s less
than a 30-minute drive to La Quebrada, the Fort of San Diego, and the Zocalo. Parking at the hotel is completely free. 

With
navy-and-white bedding, floor tiles, chairs, and curtains, guest rooms at the
Elcano evoke a slightly nautical vibe and are truly spacious. The colorful beach sketches that decorate the
walls are charming, but the fake plants and clunky teal furniture look drab.
All rooms include flat-screen TVs, as well as long balconies furnished with
wooden tables and chairs. None of the rooms have minibars or kettles for making coffee and tea. Some suites include two floors and include jetted
tubs, small separate dining areas, and multiple bathrooms. The Penthouse is the largest and arguably, best room in the hotel.No-frills
bathrooms are in need of an update, with their old-fashioned fixtures and areas
of yellowing visible on the marble countertops. The tiny sink area is stocked
with hotel-branded bath products. Spartan showers are separated from the rest
of the room by a thin shower curtain. 

The hotel
features a rectangular pool overlooking the beach. It’s surrounded by plastic
white lounge chairs and a few palm trees, which provide limited shade. The pool
is attractive but slightly small for the hotel’s size -- it can fill up quickly
during peak times. Bambuco Bar is found just to the side of the pool, and
offers open-air seating under umbrellas or an elegant white shelter. The
restaurant is simple but pretty with cut-outs in the tiled flooring filled with
sands and rocks, as well as palm trees, which blend gracefully with the
shelter’s pillars. The back of Bambuco Bar opens up into larger Bambuco
Restaurant, which features the same deep brown chairs in addition to views of
the coast. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Packages are available for breakfast, otherwise it costs extra. The hotel’s
third dining venue, El Timon Lobby Bar, is open seasonally and was closed
during our visit. Guests can get pizzas delivered to their room and there's an ice machine on every floor. The hotel
backs on to a pleasant stretch of Playa Icacos. Seating is offered on a few
lounge chairs, which are set on a small deck overlooking the beach. Like the
other beaches along Acapulco Bay, the sands of Playa Icacos are coarse and
vendors often solicit guests; however, it’s typically less crowded than
neighboring Playa Condesa. The hotel offers a utilitarian fitness center with only four
pieces of equipment. There’s also a cramped business center with two personal computers and a printer, as
well as a beauty salon and medical center. The hotel features several meeting
and event spaces which can accommodate groups of up to 500 people, and free
Wi-Fi is available throughout.